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A certificate authority is an organization that issues digital identity documents so your computer can tell it's connecting to the right entity for sensitive transactions. They're commonly used behind the scenes for secure web transactions, like online purchases or accessing your email. Your computer generally has a list of security authorities it trusts, but in some cases, you may need to tell your computer to trust a certificate authority it doesn't already know so it can access other sites, such as business sites, without an error. Make sure you trust a certificate authority if you're telling your computer to trust it.

Understanding Certificates and Authorities

When you connect over a secure web connection or other secure online systems, your connection is encrypted so unauthorized people can't spy on what you're doing or try to alter the messages the computers send back and forth. But encryption isn't enough to guarantee your security: Your computer also needs to know that the computer it's connecting to actually belongs to who it claims to belong to, so that you don't open a secure connection to an imposter and send sensitive data.

This is where digital certificate authorities come in. They can issue a computer a certificate, which is a small digital file electronically signed by the authority attesting to who owns the machine. A certificate authority can also essentially delegate its authority by signing certificates for other authorities, who ultimately sign certificates for computers. When a web browser, operating system or other program is trying to validate and see whether it can trust a certificate, it will follow the chain up until it reaches an authority it knows or finds the ultimate parent or root certificate.

Browsers and operating systems come with a list of certificate authorities they trust. If a certificate authority experiences a security breach or has other issues, it can be revoked from a vendor list.

Make Sure You Trust Wisely

Make sure you understand the reason to trust a particular authority and that you trust the organization running the authority and whoever is giving you the certificate. Don't install certificates from untrusted services or that you downloaded over insecure connections. They could be used to hijack your computer's connections to sensitive websites and resources.

Trust a Certificate Authority: Windows

If you want your Microsoft Windows computer to trust a new certificate authority, you can add its root certificate to your computer's database. You'll normally get this certificate from the authority, either online via a secure connection or, if it's an internal authority to your business, through your IT department.

If you're using Microsoft Windows, click the search box on the taskbar or in the Start menu, and type "mmc" to launch the Microsoft Management Console. Click the "File" menu and click "Add/Remove Snap-In." Click "Certificates" under "Available Snap-ins," then click "Add." Click "OK," then click "Computer account" and the "Next" button.

Trust a Certificate Authority: Mac

If you're using an Apple Mac computer, you can import a root certificate for a certificate authority using the Keychain system.

Type "Keychain Access" in the Spotlight search box, opened by clicking the magnifying glass in the top right of macOS. Click the icon to launch the app, then click the "File" menu and "Import Items." Browse to find the root certificate file, and choose "System" in the "Destination Keychain" drop-down menu.

Enter your password if prompted to do so, and log in and out of the computer, or restart it. If the certificate doesn't seem to be immediately trusted – for example, you're receiving warnings or errors attempting to access resources – reopen "Keychain Access." Right-click the certificate and click "Get Info." Open the "Trust" menu, and under "When Using This Certificate," check "Always Trust."

About the Author

Steven Melendez is an independent journalist with a background in technology and business. He has written for a variety of business publications including Fast Company, the Wall Street Journal, Innovation Leader and Business BVI. He was awarded the Knight Foundation scholarship to Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

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Melendez, Steven. "How to Make a Computer Trust a Certificate Authority." Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/make-computer-trust-certificate-authority-57649.html. 22 February 2019.

Melendez, Steven. (2019, February 22). How to Make a Computer Trust a Certificate Authority. Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/make-computer-trust-certificate-authority-57649.html

Melendez, Steven. "How to Make a Computer Trust a Certificate Authority" last modified February 22, 2019. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/make-computer-trust-certificate-authority-57649.html

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